Maruti 800
A light, simple hatchback that put a new kind of small front-wheel-drive car on Indian roads.
First-generation Maruti 800 in Goa · Polytope4d · CC BY-SA 3.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Maruti handed its first customer an 800 on 14 December 1983. The original SS80 was built in India through a partnership with Suzuki and used a compact three-cylinder engine, four-speed gearbox and front-wheel drive. This page covers that first 1983 car, not the rounder body that replaced it in 1986 or the later fuel-injected 800s.
Look a little closer.
The first customer, Harpal Singh, received his car's keys from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Small outside, important inside India
Maruti describes the first 800 as the beginning of a new chapter in personal mobility. Its compact dimensions, light controls and hatchback body were very different from the larger, older designs then common on Indian roads.
Source: Maruti Suzuki · 20 million domestic sales history ↗Keep the first body separate
The SS80 launch car had the straight-edged first-generation body. The later 800 kept its familiar name and 796 cc idea, but dimensions, styling, equipment and engine ratings changed. Those later figures do not belong on a 1983 page.
Source: IIT Bombay D'Source · history of the Indian hatchback ↗Where these facts come from
- Maruti Suzuki · first-car milestone
- IIT Bombay D'Source · history of the Indian hatchback
- Automobile-Catalog · 1983 India-market Maruti 800 data
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.